Hey there. My name is Avery Zbieroski. I am a junior at Roosevelt, Central Campus, and Central Academy. I can sometimes be a generally lazy and unmotivated teenager, but when I'm passionate about something, I am very able to speak my point of view and learn about the subject. I work as a busboy at an Italian restaurant to support my musical interests. I love many forms of punk rock, jazz, hip-hop, Japanese noise music, and a select few alternative rock artists, and I play guitar, bass, and drums in various music projects with friends. I believe music and writing to be my most effective means of expressing my ideas and emotions. I have access to any form of music which might help me cope with whatever strong emotions I may be experiencing. If i'm feeling sad or contemplative, I can just listen to some jazz or play guitar. If i'm feeling angry, i'll listen to Minor Threat or Black Flag, and play drums until my sticks are broken and my hands are blistered and bloody. I consider myself a moderately good writer, with a slight background in philosophical writers and anarchists like Bakunin and Jon Most. Finding my voice in writing, and learning to create an emotionally influential writing, was one of the harder skills for me to develop, though in the past couple years I believe I have gotten better at it, largely thanks to my reading and increased vocabulary. I look forward to more self-exploration and world observance during this next semester, and seek to further enrich my writing style.
Wow I cant believe you play all those instruments! You seem to be a good writer just at this first letter, your emotions seem to be clearly displayed in your music and I think that a good outlet a lot of people have. It's really cool how passionate you are about music -Toni
Personal Reflection on Topic of Inquiry(posted January 27 -- Peer Response January 29)
One major source of inner turmoil and questioning in my life are the circumstances of consumerism on Earth’s population. As a privileged, middle class, male, white American, I live a very easy life, relatively free of problems and hardship. I am an avid consumer of goods produced by outsourced manufacturing companies whose workers work under underpaid, almost slave-like conditions. They work despite dangerous working conditions, discrimination, bigotry and illegal wages and hours, with the sole incentive of paying for their family’s food. All this is for the purpose of producing cheaper products so I can save two dollars at my local Walmart. I do nothing to attempt to stop or prevent this crass consumerism, despite my knowledge of the extents of the results of my consumer habits.
My clothing, my shoes, my school supplies, pens, pencils, my coffee, my childhood toys, a large percentage of everything I buy is the result of underpaid child labor in developing countries. Yet I continue to consume and pay their employers for their fruitless labor. At times this knowledge fills me with undeniable guilt, but I continue to buy, simply ignoring the fact which I know to be true.
Many of us Bourgeoisie prefer to blame the sweatshops, the slave drivers in Taiwan and China, South America, and other developing societies. Others blame the big companies which outsource their products; the Walmarts, the Office Max, the stores with locations in the Merle Hay Mall. Few seem to see the underlying cause of this wretched truth: the consumers whose money is the goal and driving force of all these institutions. The responsibility, the guilt of this unignorable cycle of human suffering lies on us.
The main cause of this largely unnoticed class dominance and submission is convenience. It’s easier to pay less money for mass-produced products from superstores. It’s easy to block out the pain your consumption causes others, based on the joy the purchase brings you. We as Americans, and as members of the middle class need to at least question the circumstances and results of our comfortable, complacent lifestyles. Is our happiness and comfort really worth the pain of people we have never met, who so distant from us? How can we end the suffering of others and break the cycle of consumerism which makes our lives so evilly comfortable?
Rough Draft Definition (posted February 3 -- Peer Response February 5)
Tone:Pterodactyl (a leathery-winged flying tone? Mr. J)
==
Exploitation
The Earth is an unfathomably large universe in relation to its inhabitants. With currently over 9 billion people, hundreds of nations, seven continents, stretched over a period of 42,000 years, the sheer number of human societies of varying sizes and circumstances is staggering. An incomprehensible number of distinct and overlapping societies, with so many cultures, conventions, social norms and rules, laws, and structures, have made their mark on this Earth. All are so different, yet all display a few fundamental characteristics. All are founded on similar core principles. Since shortly after the dawn of man, class and social structure, class division and warfare have caused some of the most basic and most destructive problems in our global society. One driving force in this class division, further splitting its cracks through our societal history is embodied in the concepts of social and economic exploitation.
“Exploitation” is a broad term which has been debated and scrutinized by many of the great thinkers and philosophers for hundreds of years. At its core, it encompasses any unfair utilization or treatment of the powerless by those in power. It is a function of power, an inherent characteristic of authority and privilege, maintained by ignorance and complacency. Void of ethics, it is a shameful and evil trait of nearly all societies.
The most common and obvious form of exploitation in our class structure is the exploitation of the working lower-class by the middle and upper classes. The labor of the workers; those who work in the farms, the mills, the factories, is the foundation upon which all economies are based on. The products produced by these workers, who are simply trying to earn enough money to live, to feed and clothe their families, are stolen and sold by their aristocratic upper-class masters: the owners and executives of the companies they work for. These products are sold to the middle class for the profit of these wealthy factory-owners, exploiters of labor and social structure which sustains their comfortable, effortless lifestyle. Such is the basic economic and social structure of any capitalist society.
The most prevalent and relatable instance of this system in the world today, which has in fact existed for hundreds of years, is the use of sweatshops to produce cheap labor and products for the marketers and consumers of our economy. A myriad of products used by the middle class originated from factories of underpaid foreign workers, toiling away with no worker rights, dangerous and crowded work environments, inhumane hours, and little to no help from others outside their class division. The bourgeoisie buy into this, hailing the lower prices that result from this system, and pay the corporations, and to a minimal degree, the workers who produced the new product, to add to the pile of treasures stolen from the laborers of the world. These workers are forced to live a life of pain and compliance, as there is no way for them to escape the vicious cycle of politics and systematic exploitation ingrained in global society.
Americans are either unaware or apathetic towards the fact that a huge percentage of their consumer goods are manufactured by underage, underprivileged laborers in other countries. Most athletic shoes, much of America’s imported clothing, toys, food, coffee, and electronics, are produced under these circumstances. And yet the middle-class, you and I, we continue to fund this wretched system. Our Ipods are fabricated in Japanese factories surrounded by nets to prevent employees from committing suicide as a result of their unbearable conditions. Why don’t the middle classes care about the results of our consumerism? The answer is, of course, convenience. It is easier to buy our products for cheap. It is easier to not investigate into the production process of goods. It is easier to buy in bulk. It is also easy for the corporations to cover up the means of production of their goods.
These workers are exploited by their slave-driving masters. The workers are desperate; they have nowhere else to turn to earn money for their families. The middle and high classes exploit their desperation and make them an offer they cannot refuse: their painstaking labor in exchange for barely enough sustenance to perpetuate their painstaking labor. Many of the middle-class, whose capital is the largest source of funding for these programs, would prefer to blame the corporations. They want to place the blame on the upper-class, those who we say “created” this system. But the middle class facilitated this vicious cycle of exploitation. If there was no money to be made from them, their corporations would fail. The middle-class is a prime cause of human suffering on this earth. Although the exploitation is indirect, and although the teenage American is not the one holding the whip, this fact makes it no less unethical.
The comfortable lives of the upper and middle classes create the need of a working class from which to rob the right of comfort. The shift of privileges, resources, and money, to the upper classes keep the workers in chains, working for their masters' freedom. A fundamental change in society, in collective thought and values, would be necessary to change this system. Many philosophers have investigated possibilities of this change. However the change comes, it is necessary in our community, some say inevitable, that the oppressed will revolt. However, a worker revolution will not be enough on a global level. A cooperation of the upper classes is necessary: this is the hard part. In order for exploitation as a concept to become a thing of the past, the privileged and powerful must experience a change in respective value for their own comfort, and for the comfort of those who are different from them.
Revision Definition (posted February 10 -- Peer Response February 12 )
Final Definition (posted February 17 -- Peer Response February 19 )
Reflection #1 (posted February 20 -- Peer Response February 22)
Rough Draft Comparison (postedFebruary 24 -- Peer Response February 26 )
Avery Zbieroski
The plight of the worker is not unknown to the majority of Earth’s people. The system of worker and master, serfs, peasants, slaves, and most recently, wage laborers, has been in existence since near the dawn of human history. Only recently have the rights so well-deserved of the working class been realized and instituted by their former exploiters. Of course, as long as class divisions exist, (and they will in any capitalist society) the worker will be forever exploited, downtrodden by our plutocratic society. It is only through a gradual process that our proletariat has achieved some of the benefits and rights it enjoys in the United States today. Only through further social consciousness and awareness of the issues can the conditions of the working class be further improved.
Throughout the past centuries, millennia even, the archetypal system followed by our ancestors was cemented, perfected by the exploiters, the masters, slave drivers, aristocrats, bourgeoisie, God and his followers. Patterns of discrimination held workers in chains, so they had to serve their masters tirelessly in order to simply earn the food and shelter necessary to produce more labor. Needless to say, their conditions were wretched; conditions unimaginable by many of today’s laborers in developed nations. Back then, people were born into class. There was not even a chance of opportunity for one born poor. As soon as the unfortunate serf was born into his impoverished family, his life of drudgery began its slow, crawling descent into agonizing hardship. Back then, there was no legal minimum wage. Wealthy aristocrats could pay their workers whatever they wanted, which was almost universally zero monetary reward. Most often, the payment for their work was simply the right to live, the right to eat their controlled rations and sleep on the property. Working conditions where highly dangerous. With no attention or regulation to safety or health, farmers, miners, and factory workers faced injury, disease, and death. The understood value of their human lives was so shamefully small, it was as if the laborer was a commodity; a statistic, a number. Following this trend, the slave trade was one of the biggest international sources of profit for centuries. Humans were literally sold and transported for profit. The blatant subordination of the human being, the apathy towards the beauty of a human life, the opportunity such squandered for profit, is utterly disgusting. The worker faced a hopeless so-called “life” of painful torture and utilization and exploitation by the governing classes from the cradle to the grave. The still-evident scars of this ruthless treatment of the fellow man are all too visible today, but this is another subject. Needless to say, in most countries, the conditions of the laborer have improved enormously.
Today, in developed countries, the national government mandates a minimum wage; one cannot be paid less than a certain amount deemed suitable for a somewhat comfortable life and shelter. Additionally, benefits such as health and medical coverage, compensation for injury, and vacations, have greatly improved conditions for the worker. The way these benefits were achieved was through the unionization of laborers, formally illegal in most countries. When the workers grew tired of their exploitation and fruitless labor, they joined together to call for their similar collective demands, which through much fighting and conflict, were granted and are improved upon still today. Now, to some degree, a greater chance of opportunity is evident in U.S. economics. With a great deal of luck and determination, one born to an unfortunate, poor household may rise in power to make a name for his or herself. Although it is in most cases extremely difficult to achieve this “American Dream,” it is no longer legally prohibited for one to escape his original class. Increased consciousness and attention to the history of exploitation of the masses by the ruling wealthy elite, have led to a relative golden age of worker rights. Although many nations still show problems of worker suffering, a global human effort to restore prestige and mutual care for all people on this earth will free them from their slavery as well.
We as a collective society have made great leaps and bounds towards universal rights and respect for our fellow man. Although the scars still exist, and many nations including ours still have a long way to go to achieve a truly classless society, it is undeniable that the life of the worker has been massively improved. The more we pay attention to these struggles, the more we vote, lobby, and fight for expansion of these rights and develop our love for our species, the closer we are to a truly happy society. A society free of wars, struggle, pain, and exploitation.
Revision Comparison (posted March 2 -- Peer Response March 4)
Final Comparison (posted March 9 -- Peer Response March 11)
Avery Zbieroski
The plight of the worker is not unknown to the majority of the world’s people. The system of worker and master, serfs, peasants, slaves, and most recently, wage laborers, has been in existence since nearly the dawn of human society. Only recently have the rights so well-deserved of the working class been realized and instituted by their former exploiters. Of course, as long as class divisions exist (a factor inherent in any capitalist society) the worker will be forever exploited, downtrodden by his plutocratic society. It is only through a gradual process that our proletariat has achieved some of the benefits and rights it enjoys in the United States today. Only through further social consciousness and awareness of the issues can the conditions of the working class be further improved.
Throughout the past centuries, millennia even, the archetypal system followed by our ancestors was cemented, perfected by the exploiters, the masters, slave drivers, aristocrats, bourgeoisie, Gods, and subjects. Patterns of discrimination held the working classes hostage for their labor, so they had to serve their masters tirelessly in order to simply earn the food and shelter necessary to produce more labor. Their standard of living was completely administered by their supreme master, patronizingly doling out only enough rations to survive. Needless to say, their conditions were wretched; conditions unimaginable by many of today’s laborers in developed nations. Back then, people were born into class. There was not even a chance of opportunity for one born poor. As soon as the ill-fated serf was born into his impoverished family, his life of drudgery began its slow, crawling descent into agonizing hardship. Back then, there was no thought of a legal minimum wage. Wealthy aristocrats could pay their workers as they pleased, which was almost universally minimal monetary reward. Most often, the payment for their work was simply the right to live, the right to eat their controlled rations and sleep on the property. Working conditions were highly dangerous. With no attention or regulation to safety or health, farmers, miners, and factory workers faced injury, disease, and death. The understood value of their human lives was so shamefully small; it was as if the laborer was a commodity; a statistic, a number. Following this trend, the slave trade was one of the biggest international sources of profit for centuries. Humans were literally sold and transported for profit. The blatant subordination of the human being, the apathy towards the beauty of a human life, the opportunity such squandered for profit, is utterly disgusting. The worker faced a hopeless so-called “life” of painful torture and utilization and exploitation by the governing classes from the cradle to the grave. The still-evident scars of this ruthless treatment of the fellow man are all too visible today, but this is another subject. Needless to say, in most countries, the conditions of the laborer have improved enormously.
Today, in developed countries, the national government mandates a minimum wage; one cannot be paid less than a certain amount deemed suitable for a somewhat comfortable life and shelter. Additionally, benefits such as health and medical coverage, compensation for injury, and vacations, have greatly improved conditions for the worker. The ascension of the worker to the status he deserves has been a long, complex climb, and it is far from over. The way these benefits were achieved was through the unionization of laborers, formally illegal in most countries. When the workers grew tired of their exploitation and fruitless labor, they joined together to call for their similar collective demands, which through much fighting and conflict, were granted and are improved upon still today. Now, to some degree, a greater chance of opportunity is evident in U.S. economics. With a great deal of luck and determination, one born to an simple, meager household may rise in power to make a name for his or herself. Although it is in most cases extremely difficult to achieve this “American Dream,” it is no longer legally prohibited for one to escape his original caste. Increased consciousness and attention to the history of exploitation of the masses by the ruling wealthy elite, have led to a relative golden age of worker rights. Although many nations still show problems of worker suffering, a global human effort to restore prestige and mutual care for all people on this earth will free them from their slavery as well.
The human race as a collective society has made great leaps and bounds towards universal rights and respect for the fellow man. Although the scars still exist, and many nations including the United States still have a long way to go to achieve a truly classless society, it is undeniable that the life of the worker has been massively improved. The more attention is devoted to these struggles, the more we vote, lobby, and fight for expansion of these rights and develop our love for our species, the closer we are to a truly happy society: A society free of wars, struggle, pain, and exploitation. Such may seem a distant dream of children, but the basic moral argument behind liberty is simple and powerful. The argument begs the question, “Why do some people deserve more?”
Reflection #2 (posted March 16 -- Peer Response March 25)
I think i had more fun writing this essay than the first one. It was easier to deconstruct and analyze my topic when comparing it to its negative than just blindly attempting to describe such a broad idea head-on. The challenge was less daunting, and with more practice in writing in this class, I am getting more comfortable and productive. The system of peer review isn't the best, though good in theory, it is a bit contrived and I think we could all do better if left to our own devices to revise and edit our papers, be it through self-review or a peer of our choice, which I believe more students would do if it wasn't required. just a thought. nobody creates art in the same way; standardizing it just makes it seem like work, and writing is super fun time. Rough Draft Argument (posted April 6 -- Peer Response April 8)
Major clashes between opposite interests of social classes are evident in any developed society, and can be traced to the oldest, most basic privilege gaps inherent in any culture. These gaps are independent of economic or political system; society is not as perfect, predictable, or simple as the idealist would have one believe. No system is capable of achieving universal happiness and well-being. The best hope to steer such a complex machine as a national economy is to consolidate interests. Followers of any ideology, theory, or interest must rally under a common flag in order to achieve these changes they want to contribute to civilization. One very familiar example of this concept is the existence of labor unions. Controversy has surrounded these organizations since their establishment in the 19th century, when industry superseded agriculture and workers felt the need to fight for their collective interests. Opponents of labor unions cite impracticality, along with suppression of individual freedoms, as the major disadvantages of the labor union. Some fear that the union symbolizes a straying from our celebrated laissez-faire capitalist economy which brought the United States to economic prosperity. However, history and logic show that labor unions are necessary, and in fact a crucial component of our economy. Not only are they a legitimate voice for the masses of underprivileged wage-workers, but their coercive influence effectively spreads collective power of the economic system, leading to this more pure, democratic society that’s been sought after for centuries.
In its purest form, a labor union is a representative of the workers in an industry. Its purpose, broadly, is to ensure fair treatment of its members by the corporations that employ them. This is done through negotiation and bargaining over wages, benefits, working conditions, and general rights of the laborer. For years in many places including the U.S, the practice of assembling in a labor union was illegal. The obvious original reason for this is that those in power did not want to give up their money and supremacy for the benefit of those they employed. The ancient system of serf and master is carried on through the centuries in the form of wage-worker and corporation. The industrial revolution simply expanded this system. Big businesses have as their first priority a maximum profit. Of course this is true. Why else would one start a business? The prime goal is profit, and they are not to be demonized for this. Capitalism promises the freedom to choose how one makes his or her capital. However, once the corporation subordinates the well-being, safety, welfare, and happiness of its employee for the sake of further profit, action must be taken to prevent this tyranny. This is the foundation of the labor union. In line with this capitalist principle of freedom and prosperity, labor unions provide a body from which workers may voice their concerns. This in fact embodies the core elements of our democratic, capitalist doctrines of self-determination, freedom of speech and assembly, and the right to fair and equal opportunity under the law. These are ideas that any reasonable or moral human being must believe in. Republicans, Democrats, Constitutionalists, and Libertarians alike must regard the value of a human life as more than a mere commodity to be traded and sold. Furthermore, trade unions praise the importance of the individual by breaking down the preconception of labor as a valued commodity. Workers have real human concerns; they are not robots whose happiness and well-being can be calculated and measured. Unions strive towards a humane treatment of all parties, and many seek to fairly balance the needs of the worker with the needs of the corporation. The union is not a subordination of the individual, but rather a vessel for the collective values of all involved. They expedite the large-scale negotiation through consolidation of public opinion, leading to the increased welfare of the industrial worker.
Revision Argument (posted April 13 -- Peer Response April 15)
Major clashes between opposite interests of social classes are evident in any developed society, and can be traced to the oldest, most basic privilege gaps inherent in any culture. These gaps are independent of economic or political system; society is not as perfect, predictable, or simple as the idealist would have one believe. No system is capable of achieving universal happiness and well-being. The best hope to steer such a complex machine as a national economy is to consolidate interests. Followers of any ideology, theory, or interest must rally under a common flag in order to achieve these changes they want to contribute to civilization. One very familiar example of this concept is the existence of labor unions. Controversy has surrounded these organizations since their establishment in the 19th century, when industry superseded agriculture and workers felt the need to fight for their collective interests. Opponents of labor unions cite impracticality, along with suppression of individual freedoms, as the major disadvantages of the labor union. Some fear that the union symbolizes a straying from our celebrated laissez-faire capitalist economy which brought the United States to economic prosperity. However, history and logic show that labor unions are necessary, and in fact a crucial component of our economy. Not only are they a legitimate voice for the masses of underprivileged wage-workers, but their coercive influence effectively spreads collective power of the economic system, leading to this more pure, democratic society that’s been sought after for centuries.
In its simplest form, a labor union is a representative of the workers in an industry. Its purpose, is to ensure fair treatment of its members by the corporations that employ them. This is done through negotiation and bargaining over wages, benefits, working conditions, and general rights of the laborer. For years in many places including the U.S, the practice of assembling in a labor union was illegal. The obvious original reason for this is that those in power did not want to give up their money and supremacy for the benefit of those they employed. The ancient system of serf and master is carried on through the centuries in the form of wage-worker and corporation. The industrial revolution simply expanded this system. Big businesses have as their first priority a maximum profit. Of course this is true. Why else would one start a business? The prime goal is profit, and they are not to be demonized for this. Capitalism promises the freedom to choose how one makes his or her capital. However, once the corporation subordinates the well-being, safety, welfare, and happiness of its employee for the sake of further profit, action must be taken to prevent this tyranny. This is the foundation of the labor union. In line with this capitalist principle of freedom and prosperity, labor unions provide a body from which workers may voice their concerns. This in fact embodies the core elements of our democratic, capitalist doctrines of self-determination, freedom of speech and assembly, and the right to fair and equal opportunity under the law. These are ideas that any reasonable or moral human being must believe in. Republicans, Democrats, Constitutionalists, and Libertarians alike must regard the value of a human life as more than a mere commodity to be traded and sold. Furthermore, trade unions praise the importance of the individual by breaking down the preconception of labor as a valued commodity. Workers have real human concerns; they are not robots whose happiness and well-being can be calculated and measured. Unions strive towards a humane treatment of all parties, and many seek to fairly balance the needs of the worker with the needs of the corporation. The union is not a subordination of the individual, but rather a vessel for the collective values of all involved. They expedite the large-scale negotiation through consolidation of public opinion, leading to the increased welfare of the industrial worker.
It would seem that a leading cause U.S. fear of the labor unions is lingering fear of socialism and communism, which began in the 1920’s after the Russian revolutions of 1917. During this time, the Russian labor unions, known as soviets, revolted and caused mass mutinies and strikes which put the socialist soviets in charge of the factories and overthrew the Tsarist regime. Later in the year, the Bolsheviks incited the soviets to revolt again and institute their own government, the Soviet Union, a party which would develop into one of the most-feared and hated powers to the United States until its dissolution in 1991. During this period of roughly 70 years, a phenomena known as the “Red Scare” incited extreme violence and distrust of anyone thought to have socialist motivations, which included labor union leaders. Armies built out of ignorance and blind hatred suppressed socialist thought, as members of the Ku Klux Klan and other conservative militias broke up union meetings and conducted violent terrorist attacks on union offices. In the 1950’s, Joseph McCarthy incited mass fear of communists and began a communist witch hunt. Anti-Communist committees and "loyalty review boards" interrogated and accused politicians and celebrities of having communist tendencies without proof or justification for their claims. This kind of xenophobic hatred for anything that is merely different is the kind of ignorant conservatism which keeps the United States from progressing. The 1947 Taft-Hartley Act prohibited striking, boycotting, and donations from labor unions to aid federal campaigns, and allowed governments to suppress and illegalize labor movements thought as a danger to national health or safety. Any rational, thinking American would see through these policies as a blatant invasion of first amendment rights, and as a desperate effort of corporations and politicians to crush any opposition to their power. The youth of the next generations were indoctrinated into Soviet hatred, and this fear of the extreme practice of communism keeps moderate socialists from gaining support. Every day on the news, a right-wing conservative can be heard criticizing any new legislation as “a step towards communism” or “a threat to democracy.” However, the policies enacted by our labor unions and politicians are simply moderate changes that do not come near threatening any sort of communist revolution. A 4% increase on taxes for more healthcare and welfare benefits is negligible compared to the collectivization policies of Stalin. Reactionaries will always find a way to equate their enemy to those generally regarded as “evil,” and this case is no different. The argument “Labor unions lead to communism” is invalid, and equivalent logic would say “All Germans are bound to become Nazis.” Opposition to labor unions, whether born out of ignorance, nationalism, conservatism, or simple protection of wealth and greed, is a repulsive negation of basic rights of man: life, liberty, and property. Free speech and freedom of assembly are some of the founding elements of U.S. society, and elements which led to our own independence. Unions are in no way a threat to capitalism; a tool to rob the privileged of their well-deserved wealth; a movement towards radical communism; or a danger to the American way of life. In fact, unions represent a prime factor in what most believe to be the American Dream. They are simply a vehicle for the pursuit of happiness.
Final Argument (posted April 20 -- Peer Response April 23)
Major clashes between opposite interests of social classes are evident in any developed society, and can be traced to the oldest, most basic privilege gaps inherent in any culture. These gaps are independent of economic or political system; society is not as perfect, predictable, or simple as the idealist would have one believe. No system is capable of achieving universal happiness and well-being. The best hope to steer such a complex machine as a national economy is to consolidate interests. Followers of any ideology, theory, or interest must rally under a common flag in order to achieve these changes they want to contribute to civilization. One very familiar example of this concept is the existence of labor unions. Controversy has surrounded these organizations since their establishment in the 19th century, when industry superseded agriculture and workers developed the need to fight for their collective interests. Opponents of labor unions cite impracticality, along with suppression of individual freedoms, as the major disadvantages of the labor union. Some fear that the union symbolizes a straying from our celebrated laissez-faire capitalist economy which brought the United States and other previous powers to economic prosperity. However, history and logic show that labor unions are necessary, and in fact a crucial component of our economy. Not only are they a legitimate voice for the masses of underprivileged wage-workers, but their coercive influence effectively spreads collective power of the economic system, leading to this more pure, democratic society that’s been sought after for centuries.
In its simplest form, a labor union is a collective of the workers in an industry. Its purpose is to ensure fair treatment of its members by the corporations that employ them. This is done through negotiation and bargaining over wages, benefits, working conditions, and general rights of the laborer. For years in many places including the U.S, the practice of assembling in a labor union was illegal. The obvious original reason for this is that those in power did not want to give up their money and supremacy for the benefit of those they employed. The ancient system of serf and master is carried on through the centuries in the form of wage-worker and corporation. The industrial revolution simply expanded this system, further alienating the weaker parties from those who profit off them. Of course big businesses have as their first priority a maximum profit. Why else would one start a business? The prime goal is profit, and they are not to be demonized for this. Capitalism promises the freedom to choose how one makes his or her capital. However, once the corporation subordinates the well-being, safety, welfare, and happiness of its employee for the sake of further profit, action must be taken to prevent this cruelty. This is the foundation of the labor union. In line with this capitalist principle of freedom and prosperity, labor unions provide a body from which workers may voice their concerns. This in fact embodies the core elements of our democratic, capitalist doctrines of self-determination, freedom of speech and assembly, and the right to fair and equal opportunity under the law. These are ideas that any reasonable or moral human being must believe in. Republicans, Democrats, Constitutionalists, and Libertarians alike must regard the value of a human life as more than a mere commodity to be traded and sold. Furthermore, trade unions praise the importance of the individual by breaking down the preconception of labor as a valued commodity. Workers have real human concerns; they are not robots whose happiness and well-being can be calculated and measured. Unions strive towards a humane treatment of all parties, and many seek to fairly balance the needs of the worker with the needs of the corporation. The union is not a subordination of the individual, but rather a vessel for the collective values of all involved. They expedite the large-scale negotiation through consolidation of public opinion, leading to the increased welfare of the industrial worker.
It would seem that a leading cause U.S. fear of the labor unions is lingering fear of socialism and communism, which began in the 1920’s after the Russian revolutions of 1917. During this time, the Russian labor unions, known as soviets, revolted and caused mass mutinies and strikes which put the socialist soviets in charge of the factories and overthrew the Tsarist regime. Later in the year, the Bolsheviks incited the soviets to revolt again and institute their own government, the Soviet Union, a party which would develop into one of the most-feared and hated powers to the United States until its dissolution in 1991. During this period of roughly 70 years, a phenomena known as the “Red Scare” incited extreme violence and distrust of anyone thought to have socialist motivations, which included labor union leaders. Armies built out of ignorance and blind hatred suppressed socialist thought, as members of the Ku Klux Klan and other conservative militias broke up union meetings and conducted violent terrorist attacks on union offices. The 1947 Taft-Hartley Act prohibited striking, boycotting, and donations from labor unions to aid federal campaigns, and allowed governments to suppress and illegalize labor movements thought as a danger to national health or safety. Any rational American would see through these policies as a blatant invasion of first amendment rights, and as a desperate effort of corporations and politicians to crush any opposition to their power. In the 1950’s, Joseph McCarthy incited mass fear of communists and began a communist witch hunt. He used fear and ignorance to make the U.S. population believe that their government was being infiltrated by radical communists. He came before the nation stating, “I have here in my hand a list of two hundred and five people that were known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping the policy of the State Department.” Anti-Communist committees and "loyalty review boards" interrogated and accused politicians and celebrities of having communist tendencies without proof or justification for their claims. This blatant xenophobic hatred for anything that is merely different is the foundation for the complacent conservatism which keeps the United States from progressing. The youth of the next generations were indoctrinated into Soviet hatred, and this fear of the extreme practice of communism keeps moderate socialists from gaining support. Every day on the news, a right-wing conservative can be heard criticizing any new legislation as “a step towards communism” or “a threat to democracy.” However, the policies enacted by our labor unions and politicians are simply moderate changes that do not come near threatening any sort of communist revolution. A 4% increase on taxes for more healthcare and welfare benefits is negligible compared to the collectivization policies of Stalin. Reactionaries will always find a way to equate their enemy to those generally regarded as “evil,” and this case is no different. The argument “Labor unions lead to communism” is invalid, and equivalent logic would say “All Germans are bound to become Nazis.” Opposition to labor unions, whether born out of ignorance, nationalism, conservatism, or the natural need to protect one’s wealth, is an outright negation of basic rights of man: life, liberty, and property. Free speech and freedom of assembly are some of the founding elements of U.S. society, and elements which led to U.S. independence. Unions are in no way a threat to capitalism; a tool to rob the privileged of their well-deserved wealth; a movement towards radical communism; or a danger to the American way of life. In fact, unions represent a prime factor in what most believe to be the American Dream. They are simply a vehicle for the pursuit of happiness.
Reflection #3 (posted April 23) This was a pretty fun essay; i highly enjoy arguing for my point of view. free response questions and arguments are my favorite to answer, because I am forced to use historical perspectives, dates, and trends to support my point. This essay caused me to delve a bit deeper into union history, although i already had a basic understanding of the points i made. All writing is an argument, and it is an extremely important skill which i think i've improved on a bit during the course of this year.
Hey there. My name is Avery Zbieroski. I am a junior at Roosevelt, Central Campus, and Central Academy. I can sometimes be a generally lazy and unmotivated teenager, but when I'm passionate about something, I am very able to speak my point of view and learn about the subject. I work as a busboy at an Italian restaurant to support my musical interests. I love many forms of punk rock, jazz, hip-hop, Japanese noise music, and a select few alternative rock artists, and I play guitar, bass, and drums in various music projects with friends. I believe music and writing to be my most effective means of expressing my ideas and emotions. I have access to any form of music which might help me cope with whatever strong emotions I may be experiencing. If i'm feeling sad or contemplative, I can just listen to some jazz or play guitar. If i'm feeling angry, i'll listen to Minor Threat or Black Flag, and play drums until my sticks are broken and my hands are blistered and bloody. I consider myself a moderately good writer, with a slight background in philosophical writers and anarchists like Bakunin and Jon Most. Finding my voice in writing, and learning to create an emotionally influential writing, was one of the harder skills for me to develop, though in the past couple years I believe I have gotten better at it, largely thanks to my reading and increased vocabulary. I look forward to more self-exploration and world observance during this next semester, and seek to further enrich my writing style.
Wow I cant believe you play all those instruments! You seem to be a good writer just at this first letter, your emotions seem to be clearly displayed in your music and I think that a good outlet a lot of people have. It's really cool how passionate you are about music -Toni
Personal Reflection on Topic of Inquiry(posted January 27 -- Peer Response January 29)
One major source of inner turmoil and questioning in my life are the circumstances of consumerism on Earth’s population. As a privileged, middle class, male, white American, I live a very easy life, relatively free of problems and hardship. I am an avid consumer of goods produced by outsourced manufacturing companies whose workers work under underpaid, almost slave-like conditions. They work despite dangerous working conditions, discrimination, bigotry and illegal wages and hours, with the sole incentive of paying for their family’s food. All this is for the purpose of producing cheaper products so I can save two dollars at my local Walmart. I do nothing to attempt to stop or prevent this crass consumerism, despite my knowledge of the extents of the results of my consumer habits.
My clothing, my shoes, my school supplies, pens, pencils, my coffee, my childhood toys, a large percentage of everything I buy is the result of underpaid child labor in developing countries. Yet I continue to consume and pay their employers for their fruitless labor. At times this knowledge fills me with undeniable guilt, but I continue to buy, simply ignoring the fact which I know to be true.
Many of us Bourgeoisie prefer to blame the sweatshops, the slave drivers in Taiwan and China, South America, and other developing societies. Others blame the big companies which outsource their products; the Walmarts, the Office Max, the stores with locations in the Merle Hay Mall. Few seem to see the underlying cause of this wretched truth: the consumers whose money is the goal and driving force of all these institutions. The responsibility, the guilt of this unignorable cycle of human suffering lies on us.
The main cause of this largely unnoticed class dominance and submission is convenience. It’s easier to pay less money for mass-produced products from superstores. It’s easy to block out the pain your consumption causes others, based on the joy the purchase brings you. We as Americans, and as members of the middle class need to at least question the circumstances and results of our comfortable, complacent lifestyles. Is our happiness and comfort really worth the pain of people we have never met, who so distant from us? How can we end the suffering of others and break the cycle of consumerism which makes our lives so evilly comfortable?
Rough Draft Definition (posted February 3 -- Peer Response February 5)
Tone:Pterodactyl (a leathery-winged flying tone? Mr. J)
==
Exploitation
The Earth is an unfathomably large universe in relation to its inhabitants. With currently over 9 billion people, hundreds of nations, seven continents, stretched over a period of 42,000 years, the sheer number of human societies of varying sizes and circumstances is staggering. An incomprehensible number of distinct and overlapping societies, with so many cultures, conventions, social norms and rules, laws, and structures, have made their mark on this Earth. All are so different, yet all display a few fundamental characteristics. All are founded on similar core principles. Since shortly after the dawn of man, class and social structure, class division and warfare have caused some of the most basic and most destructive problems in our global society. One driving force in this class division, further splitting its cracks through our societal history is embodied in the concepts of social and economic exploitation.
“Exploitation” is a broad term which has been debated and scrutinized by many of the great thinkers and philosophers for hundreds of years. At its core, it encompasses any unfair utilization or treatment of the powerless by those in power. It is a function of power, an inherent characteristic of authority and privilege, maintained by ignorance and complacency. Void of ethics, it is a shameful and evil trait of nearly all societies.
The most common and obvious form of exploitation in our class structure is the exploitation of the working lower-class by the middle and upper classes. The labor of the workers; those who work in the farms, the mills, the factories, is the foundation upon which all economies are based on. The products produced by these workers, who are simply trying to earn enough money to live, to feed and clothe their families, are stolen and sold by their aristocratic upper-class masters: the owners and executives of the companies they work for. These products are sold to the middle class for the profit of these wealthy factory-owners, exploiters of labor and social structure which sustains their comfortable, effortless lifestyle. Such is the basic economic and social structure of any capitalist society.
The most prevalent and relatable instance of this system in the world today, which has in fact existed for hundreds of years, is the use of sweatshops to produce cheap labor and products for the marketers and consumers of our economy. A myriad of products used by the middle class originated from factories of underpaid foreign workers, toiling away with no worker rights, dangerous and crowded work environments, inhumane hours, and little to no help from others outside their class division. The bourgeoisie buy into this, hailing the lower prices that result from this system, and pay the corporations, and to a minimal degree, the workers who produced the new product, to add to the pile of treasures stolen from the laborers of the world. These workers are forced to live a life of pain and compliance, as there is no way for them to escape the vicious cycle of politics and systematic exploitation ingrained in global society.
Americans are either unaware or apathetic towards the fact that a huge percentage of their consumer goods are manufactured by underage, underprivileged laborers in other countries. Most athletic shoes, much of America’s imported clothing, toys, food, coffee, and electronics, are produced under these circumstances. And yet the middle-class, you and I, we continue to fund this wretched system. Our Ipods are fabricated in Japanese factories surrounded by nets to prevent employees from committing suicide as a result of their unbearable conditions. Why don’t the middle classes care about the results of our consumerism? The answer is, of course, convenience. It is easier to buy our products for cheap. It is easier to not investigate into the production process of goods. It is easier to buy in bulk. It is also easy for the corporations to cover up the means of production of their goods.
These workers are exploited by their slave-driving masters. The workers are desperate; they have nowhere else to turn to earn money for their families. The middle and high classes exploit their desperation and make them an offer they cannot refuse: their painstaking labor in exchange for barely enough sustenance to perpetuate their painstaking labor. Many of the middle-class, whose capital is the largest source of funding for these programs, would prefer to blame the corporations. They want to place the blame on the upper-class, those who we say “created” this system. But the middle class facilitated this vicious cycle of exploitation. If there was no money to be made from them, their corporations would fail. The middle-class is a prime cause of human suffering on this earth. Although the exploitation is indirect, and although the teenage American is not the one holding the whip, this fact makes it no less unethical.
The comfortable lives of the upper and middle classes create the need of a working class from which to rob the right of comfort. The shift of privileges, resources, and money, to the upper classes keep the workers in chains, working for their masters' freedom. A fundamental change in society, in collective thought and values, would be necessary to change this system. Many philosophers have investigated possibilities of this change. However the change comes, it is necessary in our community, some say inevitable, that the oppressed will revolt. However, a worker revolution will not be enough on a global level. A cooperation of the upper classes is necessary: this is the hard part. In order for exploitation as a concept to become a thing of the past, the privileged and powerful must experience a change in respective value for their own comfort, and for the comfort of those who are different from them.
Sources:
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/02/ff_joelinchina/all/1
http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/anarchist_archives/kropotkin/conquest/ch1.html
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/exploitation
http://www.workersrights.org/Freports/index.asp#freports
http://www.veganpeace.com/sweatshops/sweatshops_and_child_labor.htm
Revision Definition (posted February 10 -- Peer Response February 12 )
Final Definition (posted February 17 -- Peer Response February 19 )
Reflection #1 (posted February 20 -- Peer Response February 22)
Rough Draft Comparison (postedFebruary 24 -- Peer Response February 26 )
Avery Zbieroski
The plight of the worker is not unknown to the majority of Earth’s people. The system of worker and master, serfs, peasants, slaves, and most recently, wage laborers, has been in existence since near the dawn of human history. Only recently have the rights so well-deserved of the working class been realized and instituted by their former exploiters. Of course, as long as class divisions exist, (and they will in any capitalist society) the worker will be forever exploited, downtrodden by our plutocratic society. It is only through a gradual process that our proletariat has achieved some of the benefits and rights it enjoys in the United States today. Only through further social consciousness and awareness of the issues can the conditions of the working class be further improved.
Throughout the past centuries, millennia even, the archetypal system followed by our ancestors was cemented, perfected by the exploiters, the masters, slave drivers, aristocrats, bourgeoisie, God and his followers. Patterns of discrimination held workers in chains, so they had to serve their masters tirelessly in order to simply earn the food and shelter necessary to produce more labor. Needless to say, their conditions were wretched; conditions unimaginable by many of today’s laborers in developed nations. Back then, people were born into class. There was not even a chance of opportunity for one born poor. As soon as the unfortunate serf was born into his impoverished family, his life of drudgery began its slow, crawling descent into agonizing hardship. Back then, there was no legal minimum wage. Wealthy aristocrats could pay their workers whatever they wanted, which was almost universally zero monetary reward. Most often, the payment for their work was simply the right to live, the right to eat their controlled rations and sleep on the property. Working conditions where highly dangerous. With no attention or regulation to safety or health, farmers, miners, and factory workers faced injury, disease, and death. The understood value of their human lives was so shamefully small, it was as if the laborer was a commodity; a statistic, a number. Following this trend, the slave trade was one of the biggest international sources of profit for centuries. Humans were literally sold and transported for profit. The blatant subordination of the human being, the apathy towards the beauty of a human life, the opportunity such squandered for profit, is utterly disgusting. The worker faced a hopeless so-called “life” of painful torture and utilization and exploitation by the governing classes from the cradle to the grave. The still-evident scars of this ruthless treatment of the fellow man are all too visible today, but this is another subject. Needless to say, in most countries, the conditions of the laborer have improved enormously.
Today, in developed countries, the national government mandates a minimum wage; one cannot be paid less than a certain amount deemed suitable for a somewhat comfortable life and shelter. Additionally, benefits such as health and medical coverage, compensation for injury, and vacations, have greatly improved conditions for the worker. The way these benefits were achieved was through the unionization of laborers, formally illegal in most countries. When the workers grew tired of their exploitation and fruitless labor, they joined together to call for their similar collective demands, which through much fighting and conflict, were granted and are improved upon still today. Now, to some degree, a greater chance of opportunity is evident in U.S. economics. With a great deal of luck and determination, one born to an unfortunate, poor household may rise in power to make a name for his or herself. Although it is in most cases extremely difficult to achieve this “American Dream,” it is no longer legally prohibited for one to escape his original class. Increased consciousness and attention to the history of exploitation of the masses by the ruling wealthy elite, have led to a relative golden age of worker rights. Although many nations still show problems of worker suffering, a global human effort to restore prestige and mutual care for all people on this earth will free them from their slavery as well.
We as a collective society have made great leaps and bounds towards universal rights and respect for our fellow man. Although the scars still exist, and many nations including ours still have a long way to go to achieve a truly classless society, it is undeniable that the life of the worker has been massively improved. The more we pay attention to these struggles, the more we vote, lobby, and fight for expansion of these rights and develop our love for our species, the closer we are to a truly happy society. A society free of wars, struggle, pain, and exploitation.
Revision Comparison (posted March 2 -- Peer Response March 4)
Final Comparison (posted March 9 -- Peer Response March 11)
Avery Zbieroski
The plight of the worker is not unknown to the majority of the world’s people. The system of worker and master, serfs, peasants, slaves, and most recently, wage laborers, has been in existence since nearly the dawn of human society. Only recently have the rights so well-deserved of the working class been realized and instituted by their former exploiters. Of course, as long as class divisions exist (a factor inherent in any capitalist society) the worker will be forever exploited, downtrodden by his plutocratic society. It is only through a gradual process that our proletariat has achieved some of the benefits and rights it enjoys in the United States today. Only through further social consciousness and awareness of the issues can the conditions of the working class be further improved.
Throughout the past centuries, millennia even, the archetypal system followed by our ancestors was cemented, perfected by the exploiters, the masters, slave drivers, aristocrats, bourgeoisie, Gods, and subjects. Patterns of discrimination held the working classes hostage for their labor, so they had to serve their masters tirelessly in order to simply earn the food and shelter necessary to produce more labor. Their standard of living was completely administered by their supreme master, patronizingly doling out only enough rations to survive. Needless to say, their conditions were wretched; conditions unimaginable by many of today’s laborers in developed nations. Back then, people were born into class. There was not even a chance of opportunity for one born poor. As soon as the ill-fated serf was born into his impoverished family, his life of drudgery began its slow, crawling descent into agonizing hardship. Back then, there was no thought of a legal minimum wage. Wealthy aristocrats could pay their workers as they pleased, which was almost universally minimal monetary reward. Most often, the payment for their work was simply the right to live, the right to eat their controlled rations and sleep on the property. Working conditions were highly dangerous. With no attention or regulation to safety or health, farmers, miners, and factory workers faced injury, disease, and death. The understood value of their human lives was so shamefully small; it was as if the laborer was a commodity; a statistic, a number. Following this trend, the slave trade was one of the biggest international sources of profit for centuries. Humans were literally sold and transported for profit. The blatant subordination of the human being, the apathy towards the beauty of a human life, the opportunity such squandered for profit, is utterly disgusting. The worker faced a hopeless so-called “life” of painful torture and utilization and exploitation by the governing classes from the cradle to the grave. The still-evident scars of this ruthless treatment of the fellow man are all too visible today, but this is another subject. Needless to say, in most countries, the conditions of the laborer have improved enormously.
Today, in developed countries, the national government mandates a minimum wage; one cannot be paid less than a certain amount deemed suitable for a somewhat comfortable life and shelter. Additionally, benefits such as health and medical coverage, compensation for injury, and vacations, have greatly improved conditions for the worker. The ascension of the worker to the status he deserves has been a long, complex climb, and it is far from over. The way these benefits were achieved was through the unionization of laborers, formally illegal in most countries. When the workers grew tired of their exploitation and fruitless labor, they joined together to call for their similar collective demands, which through much fighting and conflict, were granted and are improved upon still today. Now, to some degree, a greater chance of opportunity is evident in U.S. economics. With a great deal of luck and determination, one born to an simple, meager household may rise in power to make a name for his or herself. Although it is in most cases extremely difficult to achieve this “American Dream,” it is no longer legally prohibited for one to escape his original caste. Increased consciousness and attention to the history of exploitation of the masses by the ruling wealthy elite, have led to a relative golden age of worker rights. Although many nations still show problems of worker suffering, a global human effort to restore prestige and mutual care for all people on this earth will free them from their slavery as well.
The human race as a collective society has made great leaps and bounds towards universal rights and respect for the fellow man. Although the scars still exist, and many nations including the United States still have a long way to go to achieve a truly classless society, it is undeniable that the life of the worker has been massively improved. The more attention is devoted to these struggles, the more we vote, lobby, and fight for expansion of these rights and develop our love for our species, the closer we are to a truly happy society: A society free of wars, struggle, pain, and exploitation. Such may seem a distant dream of children, but the basic moral argument behind liberty is simple and powerful. The argument begs the question, “Why do some people deserve more?”
Reflection #2 (posted March 16 -- Peer Response March 25)
I think i had more fun writing this essay than the first one. It was easier to deconstruct and analyze my topic when comparing it to its negative than just blindly attempting to describe such a broad idea head-on. The challenge was less daunting, and with more practice in writing in this class, I am getting more comfortable and productive. The system of peer review isn't the best, though good in theory, it is a bit contrived and I think we could all do better if left to our own devices to revise and edit our papers, be it through self-review or a peer of our choice, which I believe more students would do if it wasn't required. just a thought. nobody creates art in the same way; standardizing it just makes it seem like work, and writing is super fun time.
Rough Draft Argument (posted April 6 -- Peer Response April 8)
Major clashes between opposite interests of social classes are evident in any developed society, and can be traced to the oldest, most basic privilege gaps inherent in any culture. These gaps are independent of economic or political system; society is not as perfect, predictable, or simple as the idealist would have one believe. No system is capable of achieving universal happiness and well-being. The best hope to steer such a complex machine as a national economy is to consolidate interests. Followers of any ideology, theory, or interest must rally under a common flag in order to achieve these changes they want to contribute to civilization. One very familiar example of this concept is the existence of labor unions. Controversy has surrounded these organizations since their establishment in the 19th century, when industry superseded agriculture and workers felt the need to fight for their collective interests. Opponents of labor unions cite impracticality, along with suppression of individual freedoms, as the major disadvantages of the labor union. Some fear that the union symbolizes a straying from our celebrated laissez-faire capitalist economy which brought the United States to economic prosperity. However, history and logic show that labor unions are necessary, and in fact a crucial component of our economy. Not only are they a legitimate voice for the masses of underprivileged wage-workers, but their coercive influence effectively spreads collective power of the economic system, leading to this more pure, democratic society that’s been sought after for centuries.
In its purest form, a labor union is a representative of the workers in an industry. Its purpose, broadly, is to ensure fair treatment of its members by the corporations that employ them. This is done through negotiation and bargaining over wages, benefits, working conditions, and general rights of the laborer. For years in many places including the U.S, the practice of assembling in a labor union was illegal. The obvious original reason for this is that those in power did not want to give up their money and supremacy for the benefit of those they employed. The ancient system of serf and master is carried on through the centuries in the form of wage-worker and corporation. The industrial revolution simply expanded this system. Big businesses have as their first priority a maximum profit. Of course this is true. Why else would one start a business? The prime goal is profit, and they are not to be demonized for this. Capitalism promises the freedom to choose how one makes his or her capital. However, once the corporation subordinates the well-being, safety, welfare, and happiness of its employee for the sake of further profit, action must be taken to prevent this tyranny. This is the foundation of the labor union. In line with this capitalist principle of freedom and prosperity, labor unions provide a body from which workers may voice their concerns. This in fact embodies the core elements of our democratic, capitalist doctrines of self-determination, freedom of speech and assembly, and the right to fair and equal opportunity under the law. These are ideas that any reasonable or moral human being must believe in. Republicans, Democrats, Constitutionalists, and Libertarians alike must regard the value of a human life as more than a mere commodity to be traded and sold. Furthermore, trade unions praise the importance of the individual by breaking down the preconception of labor as a valued commodity. Workers have real human concerns; they are not robots whose happiness and well-being can be calculated and measured. Unions strive towards a humane treatment of all parties, and many seek to fairly balance the needs of the worker with the needs of the corporation. The union is not a subordination of the individual, but rather a vessel for the collective values of all involved. They expedite the large-scale negotiation through consolidation of public opinion, leading to the increased welfare of the industrial worker.
Revision Argument (posted April 13 -- Peer Response April 15)
Major clashes between opposite interests of social classes are evident in any developed society, and can be traced to the oldest, most basic privilege gaps inherent in any culture. These gaps are independent of economic or political system; society is not as perfect, predictable, or simple as the idealist would have one believe. No system is capable of achieving universal happiness and well-being. The best hope to steer such a complex machine as a national economy is to consolidate interests. Followers of any ideology, theory, or interest must rally under a common flag in order to achieve these changes they want to contribute to civilization. One very familiar example of this concept is the existence of labor unions. Controversy has surrounded these organizations since their establishment in the 19th century, when industry superseded agriculture and workers felt the need to fight for their collective interests. Opponents of labor unions cite impracticality, along with suppression of individual freedoms, as the major disadvantages of the labor union. Some fear that the union symbolizes a straying from our celebrated laissez-faire capitalist economy which brought the United States to economic prosperity. However, history and logic show that labor unions are necessary, and in fact a crucial component of our economy. Not only are they a legitimate voice for the masses of underprivileged wage-workers, but their coercive influence effectively spreads collective power of the economic system, leading to this more pure, democratic society that’s been sought after for centuries.
In its simplest form, a labor union is a representative of the workers in an industry. Its purpose, is to ensure fair treatment of its members by the corporations that employ them. This is done through negotiation and bargaining over wages, benefits, working conditions, and general rights of the laborer. For years in many places including the U.S, the practice of assembling in a labor union was illegal. The obvious original reason for this is that those in power did not want to give up their money and supremacy for the benefit of those they employed. The ancient system of serf and master is carried on through the centuries in the form of wage-worker and corporation. The industrial revolution simply expanded this system. Big businesses have as their first priority a maximum profit. Of course this is true. Why else would one start a business? The prime goal is profit, and they are not to be demonized for this. Capitalism promises the freedom to choose how one makes his or her capital. However, once the corporation subordinates the well-being, safety, welfare, and happiness of its employee for the sake of further profit, action must be taken to prevent this tyranny. This is the foundation of the labor union. In line with this capitalist principle of freedom and prosperity, labor unions provide a body from which workers may voice their concerns. This in fact embodies the core elements of our democratic, capitalist doctrines of self-determination, freedom of speech and assembly, and the right to fair and equal opportunity under the law. These are ideas that any reasonable or moral human being must believe in. Republicans, Democrats, Constitutionalists, and Libertarians alike must regard the value of a human life as more than a mere commodity to be traded and sold. Furthermore, trade unions praise the importance of the individual by breaking down the preconception of labor as a valued commodity. Workers have real human concerns; they are not robots whose happiness and well-being can be calculated and measured. Unions strive towards a humane treatment of all parties, and many seek to fairly balance the needs of the worker with the needs of the corporation. The union is not a subordination of the individual, but rather a vessel for the collective values of all involved. They expedite the large-scale negotiation through consolidation of public opinion, leading to the increased welfare of the industrial worker.
It would seem that a leading cause U.S. fear of the labor unions is lingering fear of socialism and communism, which began in the 1920’s after the Russian revolutions of 1917. During this time, the Russian labor unions, known as soviets, revolted and caused mass mutinies and strikes which put the socialist soviets in charge of the factories and overthrew the Tsarist regime. Later in the year, the Bolsheviks incited the soviets to revolt again and institute their own government, the Soviet Union, a party which would develop into one of the most-feared and hated powers to the United States until its dissolution in 1991. During this period of roughly 70 years, a phenomena known as the “Red Scare” incited extreme violence and distrust of anyone thought to have socialist motivations, which included labor union leaders. Armies built out of ignorance and blind hatred suppressed socialist thought, as members of the Ku Klux Klan and other conservative militias broke up union meetings and conducted violent terrorist attacks on union offices. In the 1950’s, Joseph McCarthy incited mass fear of communists and began a communist witch hunt. Anti-Communist committees and "loyalty review boards" interrogated and accused politicians and celebrities of having communist tendencies without proof or justification for their claims. This kind of xenophobic hatred for anything that is merely different is the kind of ignorant conservatism which keeps the United States from progressing. The 1947 Taft-Hartley Act prohibited striking, boycotting, and donations from labor unions to aid federal campaigns, and allowed governments to suppress and illegalize labor movements thought as a danger to national health or safety. Any rational, thinking American would see through these policies as a blatant invasion of first amendment rights, and as a desperate effort of corporations and politicians to crush any opposition to their power. The youth of the next generations were indoctrinated into Soviet hatred, and this fear of the extreme practice of communism keeps moderate socialists from gaining support. Every day on the news, a right-wing conservative can be heard criticizing any new legislation as “a step towards communism” or “a threat to democracy.” However, the policies enacted by our labor unions and politicians are simply moderate changes that do not come near threatening any sort of communist revolution. A 4% increase on taxes for more healthcare and welfare benefits is negligible compared to the collectivization policies of Stalin. Reactionaries will always find a way to equate their enemy to those generally regarded as “evil,” and this case is no different. The argument “Labor unions lead to communism” is invalid, and equivalent logic would say “All Germans are bound to become Nazis.”
Opposition to labor unions, whether born out of ignorance, nationalism, conservatism, or simple protection of wealth and greed, is a repulsive negation of basic rights of man: life, liberty, and property. Free speech and freedom of assembly are some of the founding elements of U.S. society, and elements which led to our own independence. Unions are in no way a threat to capitalism; a tool to rob the privileged of their well-deserved wealth; a movement towards radical communism; or a danger to the American way of life. In fact, unions represent a prime factor in what most believe to be the American Dream. They are simply a vehicle for the pursuit of happiness.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism
http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/friedman.unions.us
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/23/grassley-obama-budget-step-toward-socialism/?page=all
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAhartley.htm
Final Argument (posted April 20 -- Peer Response April 23)
Major clashes between opposite interests of social classes are evident in any developed society, and can be traced to the oldest, most basic privilege gaps inherent in any culture. These gaps are independent of economic or political system; society is not as perfect, predictable, or simple as the idealist would have one believe. No system is capable of achieving universal happiness and well-being. The best hope to steer such a complex machine as a national economy is to consolidate interests. Followers of any ideology, theory, or interest must rally under a common flag in order to achieve these changes they want to contribute to civilization. One very familiar example of this concept is the existence of labor unions. Controversy has surrounded these organizations since their establishment in the 19th century, when industry superseded agriculture and workers developed the need to fight for their collective interests. Opponents of labor unions cite impracticality, along with suppression of individual freedoms, as the major disadvantages of the labor union. Some fear that the union symbolizes a straying from our celebrated laissez-faire capitalist economy which brought the United States and other previous powers to economic prosperity. However, history and logic show that labor unions are necessary, and in fact a crucial component of our economy. Not only are they a legitimate voice for the masses of underprivileged wage-workers, but their coercive influence effectively spreads collective power of the economic system, leading to this more pure, democratic society that’s been sought after for centuries.
In its simplest form, a labor union is a collective of the workers in an industry. Its purpose is to ensure fair treatment of its members by the corporations that employ them. This is done through negotiation and bargaining over wages, benefits, working conditions, and general rights of the laborer. For years in many places including the U.S, the practice of assembling in a labor union was illegal. The obvious original reason for this is that those in power did not want to give up their money and supremacy for the benefit of those they employed. The ancient system of serf and master is carried on through the centuries in the form of wage-worker and corporation. The industrial revolution simply expanded this system, further alienating the weaker parties from those who profit off them. Of course big businesses have as their first priority a maximum profit. Why else would one start a business? The prime goal is profit, and they are not to be demonized for this. Capitalism promises the freedom to choose how one makes his or her capital. However, once the corporation subordinates the well-being, safety, welfare, and happiness of its employee for the sake of further profit, action must be taken to prevent this cruelty. This is the foundation of the labor union. In line with this capitalist principle of freedom and prosperity, labor unions provide a body from which workers may voice their concerns. This in fact embodies the core elements of our democratic, capitalist doctrines of self-determination, freedom of speech and assembly, and the right to fair and equal opportunity under the law. These are ideas that any reasonable or moral human being must believe in. Republicans, Democrats, Constitutionalists, and Libertarians alike must regard the value of a human life as more than a mere commodity to be traded and sold. Furthermore, trade unions praise the importance of the individual by breaking down the preconception of labor as a valued commodity. Workers have real human concerns; they are not robots whose happiness and well-being can be calculated and measured. Unions strive towards a humane treatment of all parties, and many seek to fairly balance the needs of the worker with the needs of the corporation. The union is not a subordination of the individual, but rather a vessel for the collective values of all involved. They expedite the large-scale negotiation through consolidation of public opinion, leading to the increased welfare of the industrial worker.
It would seem that a leading cause U.S. fear of the labor unions is lingering fear of socialism and communism, which began in the 1920’s after the Russian revolutions of 1917. During this time, the Russian labor unions, known as soviets, revolted and caused mass mutinies and strikes which put the socialist soviets in charge of the factories and overthrew the Tsarist regime. Later in the year, the Bolsheviks incited the soviets to revolt again and institute their own government, the Soviet Union, a party which would develop into one of the most-feared and hated powers to the United States until its dissolution in 1991. During this period of roughly 70 years, a phenomena known as the “Red Scare” incited extreme violence and distrust of anyone thought to have socialist motivations, which included labor union leaders. Armies built out of ignorance and blind hatred suppressed socialist thought, as members of the Ku Klux Klan and other conservative militias broke up union meetings and conducted violent terrorist attacks on union offices. The 1947 Taft-Hartley Act prohibited striking, boycotting, and donations from labor unions to aid federal campaigns, and allowed governments to suppress and illegalize labor movements thought as a danger to national health or safety. Any rational American would see through these policies as a blatant invasion of first amendment rights, and as a desperate effort of corporations and politicians to crush any opposition to their power. In the 1950’s, Joseph McCarthy incited mass fear of communists and began a communist witch hunt. He used fear and ignorance to make the U.S. population believe that their government was being infiltrated by radical communists. He came before the nation stating, “I have here in my hand a list of two hundred and five people that were known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping the policy of the State Department.” Anti-Communist committees and "loyalty review boards" interrogated and accused politicians and celebrities of having communist tendencies without proof or justification for their claims. This blatant xenophobic hatred for anything that is merely different is the foundation for the complacent conservatism which keeps the United States from progressing. The youth of the next generations were indoctrinated into Soviet hatred, and this fear of the extreme practice of communism keeps moderate socialists from gaining support. Every day on the news, a right-wing conservative can be heard criticizing any new legislation as “a step towards communism” or “a threat to democracy.” However, the policies enacted by our labor unions and politicians are simply moderate changes that do not come near threatening any sort of communist revolution. A 4% increase on taxes for more healthcare and welfare benefits is negligible compared to the collectivization policies of Stalin. Reactionaries will always find a way to equate their enemy to those generally regarded as “evil,” and this case is no different. The argument “Labor unions lead to communism” is invalid, and equivalent logic would say “All Germans are bound to become Nazis.”
Opposition to labor unions, whether born out of ignorance, nationalism, conservatism, or the natural need to protect one’s wealth, is an outright negation of basic rights of man: life, liberty, and property. Free speech and freedom of assembly are some of the founding elements of U.S. society, and elements which led to U.S. independence. Unions are in no way a threat to capitalism; a tool to rob the privileged of their well-deserved wealth; a movement towards radical communism; or a danger to the American way of life. In fact, unions represent a prime factor in what most believe to be the American Dream. They are simply a vehicle for the pursuit of happiness.
Reflection #3 (posted April 23)
This was a pretty fun essay; i highly enjoy arguing for my point of view. free response questions and arguments are my favorite to answer, because I am forced to use historical perspectives, dates, and trends to support my point. This essay caused me to delve a bit deeper into union history, although i already had a basic understanding of the points i made. All writing is an argument, and it is an extremely important skill which i think i've improved on a bit during the course of this year.